Here’s the simple truth behind reading a lot of books: It’s not that hard. We have all the time we need. The scary part—the part we all ignore—is that we are too addicted, too weak, and too distracted to do what we all know is important…

More than 41 million Billy bookcases have been sold since the product was introduced in 1979, so there’s a good chance there’s one in your house somewhere. The version assessed for the index is a white bookcase, 202 centimeters (79.5 inches) high, 80 cm wide and 28 cm deep.

Instead of offering the thrills of stealing, violence and copious cursing, the new video game, based on Thoreau’s 19th-century retreat in Massachusetts, will urge players to collect arrowheads, cast their fishing poles into a tranquil pond, buy penny candies and perhaps even jot notes in a journal — all while listening to music, nature sounds and excerpts from the author’s meditations.